Protect seniors against fraud

By Mary Beth Almond
C & G Staff Writer

Every day, criminals use telephone calls, mass mailings, and such online scams as phishing and e-mail spamming to con the elderly out of their life savings.

Birmingham Police Cmdr. Mark Clemence said there are several reasons the elderly have become a target for fraud. Criminals are often drawn to seniors because they are more likely to have a nest egg. Scammers look to seniors for money because they believe the elderly are more polite and trusting, might not know how to report a fraud, are often too ashamed to admit they’ve been scammed, and can sometimes make poor witnesses.

“Criminals believe they are easily confused and can’t identify them at a later date and time. They count on the fact that their age and memory won’t be as sharp,” Clemence said.

Warren police officer Matt Nichols agreed that vulnerabilities are obviously greater as people age and their hearing, eyesight and memory decline.

“That’s just the normal process of ageing. Couple that up with the fact that many seniors have never been victimized and still have a sense of trust and honor … which makes them susceptible right off the bat,” Nichols said.

The good news is seniors can easily avoid being targeted with a bit of education and a few basic tips.

In Warren, Nichols said, the most common scam is related to home repairs. The scam involves someone knocking on the door saying they want to fix a resident’s driveway for $30-$40. When the victim gives the OK, Nichols said, the con artist throws down $2 worth of cement with a paintbrush and tells the homeowner that they misunderstood, it really costs $20 a pound and they need 100 pounds.

“They then charge them thousands of dollars for a repair that literally costs $2,” Nichols said.

In Birmingham, six common scams have recently swindled seniors out of money, according to Clemence.

“It tears your heart out to see elderly people get scammed out of thousands of dollars,” he said.

The most common scam, Clemence said, is foreign or out-of-state lottery or sweepstakes fraud. Residents are informed that they have won the lottery in another state or country and are asked to pay taxes on the winnings by money order before the winnings can be mailed.

“Unfortunately, elderly people end up sending them usually a money order, and they just keep the money order and there are no winnings,” Clemence said.

Another popular scam is done by telephone. Clemence had a recent case in which a grandfather was contacted by someone who said they were from the U.S. Border Patrol at the Windsor tunnel. He was told that his granddaughter — and the scammers used her correct name — had been detained for trying to bring in items across the border without paying duty on them.

“The guy on the phone said, ‘Your granddaughter seems very nice, so if you just send a $1,800 money order in my name, I will make sure that your granddaughter gets the money, and we’ll get her home safe and sound.’ He sent the money, and later found out it was only a scam,” he said.

According to Clemence, other scams in the area include:

• Nigerian letter fraud — A letter is mailed from Nigeria to a local resident offering the recipient the opportunity to share a percentage of millions of dollars that they are trying to transfer illegally out of Nigeria. The recipient is encouraged to send that person his or her name and bank account information, so the letter-writer can transfer the money into the victim’s account in order to get it out of the country. The person from Nigeria says he will let the U.S. resident keep a share of the money, but the scammer simply empties the victim’s bank account or uses those accounts to commit other frauds.

• Telemarketing fraud — A senior receives a call advertising a can’t-miss opportunity with little or no risk, but what really happens is the scammer is trying to get the senior’s credit card number, date of birth and Social Security number in order to take out credit cards in the victim’s name. 

• Charity schemes — Scammers knock on the door or call and say they represent a legitimate organization or charity and ask for a donation. For example, Clemence said, a guy recently went around Birmingham saying he was collecting money for breast cancer research and was in a contest to win a trip. The man said that the only way to prove that he collected the donation was if the victim signed the check to the scammer’s name. The man then just cashed all of the checks and kept the money.

• Threatening e-mails or letters — A senior receives a letter or e-mail threatening the senior or a family member with violence unless the victim pays certain amount of money. All the scammer is looking for is a check or money order.

“As soon as you receive a letter or an e-mail like that, you should always contact police and let us look at it,” Clemence said.

With three basic tips in mind, Nichols said, seniors can easily avoid being victimized.

First, he encourages the elderly to stay mentally alert and in control of their emotions.

“Never let anyone take control of your thought process, because once they control your emotions, they can basically manipulate you do to whatever they want you to do. You’ll do it willingly, but unwittingly,” he said.

Seniors should always ask themselves “why,” never tell anyone that they live alone, and always call police to report something suspicious, he said.

“If anyone shows up at your door, whether or not they get in, if you think something’s not right, call the police and report it. What we’ve found is seniors feel that they are being a bother and they don’t want to bother us. We’ll come out to your house 100 times and find out that it’s just a meter reader, but we’d rather do that than come out one time and find out that you lost your life savings,” Nichols said.

Clemence suggests that seniors shred credit card receipts and old bank statements, close unused credit cards or bank accounts, never pay in advance for services, talk over investments with a trusted friend or family member, and never give out personal information over the phone or the Internet.

More than anything else, Clemence also advises seniors to call their local police department.

“That’s what we’re here for. If they receive strange letters, strange phone calls, or anything, they should just call us, and we will come out and examine the facts and work on it with them to make sure that nothing happens,” he said.

To report a telephone scam, call the Federal Trade Commission at (877) 382-4357, the local prosecuting attorney’s office, and the local police department.

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Beth Almond at malmond@candgnews.com.